17th October 1937

17th October 1937

Sarvar to 27 Queen Square, Bath

Dear Madeleine!

Thank you awfully much for your nice letter and the book. I am delighted to have it. I am very keen on books. We have got a bookcase all for our own, and it is quite full of lovely books. We have it in our own girl’s drawing room. And we feel very proud to have it. Muck and I have writing desks standing here and I really do write quite a lot now, don’t I? I feel quite ashamed for not having written to any of your birthdays. I must have lost the dates. Of course I remember Mr D’Arcy in Pride and Prejudice. But he is not related to our Mary D’Arcy. She is Irish and from Tipperary. She told me D’Arcy is a name often to be heard in England. At the Sacred Heart Convent of Roehampton there were 4 different D’Arcy’s staying there besides her. Now there are two of my cousins staying at Roehampton, while the two smaller ones stay here. They are those that stand near Rasso on Deidi’s wedding foto. Did you recognize Marieliesl? I quite forgot she was there at Middelkerke with us you remember. I saw Anthony Adverse, it is a good film only too long. Olivia de Havilland is charming and Frederic March is a very good actor. But I was sorry he was not Errol Flynn. I would have loved to see him, everybody admires him so much. I am sorry I just missed his great film “The Charge of the Light Brigade”. It was here the day before we arrived in Sarvar. I am counting the days till Deidi’s arrival. We shall soon have the shooting to start and many guests to arrive. That’s most of the fun. I love having guests and seeing people. Tomorrow we shall have the General of Szombathely here for lunch. Muck just calling me to come and play tennis. We have a tennis match now in which everybody has to play against everyone. I believe Ludwig will win or Mary and I shall lose. I am as bad as ever. Or maybe Miss Wright, the cousins’ governess is worse than me.

Anyway, we shall see. With love

Loll